India rejects Pakistani claim it gave Israel Iranian ship's location
What's the story
The Indian government has rejected claims that it shared the location of the Iranian naval vessel, IRIS Dena, with Israel. The allegations were made by Pakistani sources and are part of a larger disinformation campaign, according to a statement from New Delhi. The clarification came after the Iranian warship was sunk by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka on March 4, killing at least 87 sailors.
Misinformation exposed
PIB fact-checks deepfake video of Army chief
Disputing the claims, the government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check unit said, "Pakistani propaganda accounts are sharing a digitally manipulated video of the Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, making false claims that when the Iranian ship crossed the international waters, as Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to inform Israel about their exact location as a part of our newer strategic deal." "This is an AI-generated deepfake video," it said, adding, "General Upendra Dwivedi...made NO such statement."
Twitter Post
PIB shares fake and original videos
🚨 Deepfake Video Alert
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 9, 2026
Pakistani propaganda accounts are sharing a digitally manipulated video of the Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, making false claims that when the Iranian ship crossed the international waters, as Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to… pic.twitter.com/itQ63pXGuF
Incident fallout
Iranian frigate was returning from international fleet review
The Iranian frigate was returning from the Milan International Fleet Review 2026 hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam when it was torpedoed by a US submarine in international waters near Galle. The ship had around 130 personnel on board at the time of the attack. Rescue operations by Sri Lankan forces saved about 30 sailors who were hospitalized for treatment. Iran condemned the attack, with Seyed Abbas Aragchi calling it an "atrocity at sea."
Ships
Iran sought permission to use Indian ports
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Iran's foreign minister had thanked India for permitting the Iranian warship Lavan to dock at Kochi port after the US sank IRIS Dena. Jaishankar said that Iran had asked India on February 28 to let three of its ships that were operating in the region dock at Indian ports. The warship got permission on March 1 and docked on March 4. "It was the right thing to do," Jaishankar said.